Necropolis: City of the Dead
by BLSUGS30
Summary: 7 prophets. One dying friend. One chance to live again. A city full of others vying for the single prize. No rules, guns allowed. NaruXSasu GaaXHina ShikaXTem
1. Day 64

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**Necropolis: City of the dead**

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**SCROLL I- Genesis**

(Session#1- Day 64 )

--

**(Naruto's memory- Summer of 2007)**

The sun was setting, a bright explosion of red lights against a background of darkness. I swung my legs over the ledge and ran after Sasuke. The wind whipped against me in a natural resistance, and the smell of the sea… The breezy cool rush of endless water that knew no boundaries. My home.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as I childishly doused him with salt water… but the truth was, we were still children, back then. He kicked watery sand onto my legs and swam away, probably grinning under all that serious looks he gave me.

The waves welcomed both of us.

--

**(2008/6/1- Outter Necropolis, Day 64 )**

The rundown streets reeked of rust; the metal bridge that connected inner Necropolis to the outer had been corroding for ages. Naruto scrunched his face up at the metallic odor, and hugged the thick bag of groceries tighter to his chest with his right arm, his left one dragging loosely an Mp5 that was strapped to the entire length of his arm.

It was already a little over 7, and the streets were already half empty. Only a few shifty looking people were hanging about, and even they were in a hurry.

No one wished to cross the drifters.

Naruto ran down the streets, lest the drifters catch him; the sun was setting in a background of destruction.

He assumed the sundown he was viewing right now was the same as the one Sasuke was watching from his hospital room back in Konoha.

--

The room was dimly lit with a low watt bulb, hardly any furniture furnishing the drab vacant room.

It seemed hardly unlikely that there were any inhabitants present, but actually there stood five unruly army cots aligned in one corner of the room and two lone figures perched on the other corner, shaded by the cast shadows.

"When do you think… Naruto and Shikamaru-kun would be back? "

A girl with a cascading soft raven hair and an uncertain look spoke up meekly, her hand wrought around her legs childishly. Her eyes were tinted lavender and took in too much of her dismal surroundings.

The man, or boy, that was sitting next to her spoke up quietly, setting down a revolver he had been cleaning.

"He'd be back by 7 at least. Any time after the sundown, the drifters start roaming. "

"…b…but. Gaara kun. It 'is' 7… look. "

With trembling hands, she held up her cracked wristwatch that was indeed, indicating that it was 7. A little over 7, in all truth.

"Then they'll have to be fast. "

Gaara was intolerably impassive, not a single twitch of his muscle letting him on. He resumed his act of cleaning out his batch of revolvers, completely ignoring the agitated Hinata next to him.

Biting her lip, she spoke up again.

"…aren't you worried? "

Hinata studied Gaara's detached profile, his deadpan eyes.

He should have looked his own age, 19, but his eyes made him look far older than his years. It was a queer color of cerulean, running lighter than Naruto's own set of sapphire eyes.

His thick curling maroon hair that ran the length down to the nape of his neck hid most of his forehead, hiding the tattoo that was engraved deeply on it. The red tattoo was a shocking contrast against the snowy white skin that somehow made his countenance seem vulnerable, but not necessarily weak.

And he wasn't vulnerable, Hinata knew that from experience.

"Why should I be? The less competition, the better. "

The way he said it was more aggravating. Too calm for his own good.

Hinata angrily bristled and trembled, both afraid and overwhelmed by his presence. She had meant to say something cutting back to him, some insult to throw back, but all she succeeded in doing was hold back the tears that were chocking her.

She swiftly turned towards the walls to hide her shame.

"…you don't belong here."

She did not turn, her head defiantly propped up by sheer dogged determination. She was trembling.

"Let me repeat that. You don't belong he…"

"Why are y…?! "

She cut him off in mid-sentence, her voice choked full of tears. He betted her eyes were too.

Gaara waited for her to finish.

"Why are you so… cruel to me? Aren't we… a team? "

She mumbled into the darkness, her back still turned. He answered without grace, a dull curt swift reply.

"We are. "

Her head snapped up an inch.

"T…Then why? "

"I don't trust you. Not yet. "

Hinata literally flinched. Then her shoulders sagged, and she finally turned to look at him. Gaara continued as if she had not moved.

"It was Naruto's idea, his idea of saving a stray kitten I'll bet, to put you in the team. And you're weak. And you haven't told us about your past yet, when everyone else had said it. There's no reason for me to trust you. "

Surprisingly so, she gave him a weak teary smile, martyr-like.

"…t…Thank you for not lying and telling me frankly. It… would have been worse if you told me a lie and said you trusted… me. "

"Stop crying. "

She burst into tears, all thin veneer of composure dropping off her.

"Oi, oi you guys! Why the long faces?! "

Naruto suddenly crashed in, holding two paper bags full to brim with groceries—it's only a mystery how he got hold to that much food. Food is scarce now here in Necropolis.

"Hey, you made her cry. "

Shikamaru entered next, his brow shooting up quizzically. He looked at the bawling Hinata, then looked back at Gaara, as if trying to weigh the situation at hand. His comment set Hinata off even more, and she desperately tried to tone down, in vain, her volume of sobbing.

"You scared her to death, didn'tcha? With the ghostly face and all… shtt. Hinata girl, you shouldn't mind this guy! He only 'looks' scary! "

Naruto chuckled at his own wit as he set down the pack of groceries on the damp floor. Shikamaru set down his own backpack full to brim with stray bullets he's collected during the day. He poured them out now on the floor, satisfied with the amount he's gathered.

"Hey, any for me? I think my Mp5's running low. "

"You shouldn't have blown away the damned building, you idiot. Stop wasting your bullets, Naruto, or I'll stop being nice and start collecting only my share. "

Shikamaru grumbled as he gestured nonchalantly at the pile on the floor.

Naruto grinned and jumped on him, opening his arm wide.

"Stop it!! You're st…you still have your gun strapped… it fucking hurts like hell… Damn you Naruto! That's gonna leave a bruise…"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he slumped on his cot, stripping off his shirt without getting up.

"You guys didn't meet any drifters along the way? "

Gaara commented, eyeing the sudden commotion in the normally hushed room.

"Almost. Close call. But we were both already close to the sanctuary areas anyways, so there was no point in chasing us. "

Shikamaru answered, his eyes closed and already halfway into sleep.

"Hinata….Hinata? Hello? Come on, don't cry! Don't tell me Gaara's really that ugly... oops, joking man, didn't mean it. "

Naruto grinned, alarmingly jovial for someone who's spent over two months inside this hellhole of a city.

Necropolis. City of the dead. It was an appropriate but ironic name.

"I… I'm not crying. "

Hinata defiantly lifted her head, the rims of her eyes red and nose puffy.

She quickly walked over to the pile of groceries and started dividing them, allocating each portion into the different compartments of the rundown fridge they all shared.

"Well good night people, I've been up since four am this mornin', and I ain't aiming to stay awake! "

Naruto, without a speck of embarrassment, stripped off his shirt and pants, and jumped into his cot with a crash loud enough to rouse the Shikamaru who had been already asleep.

"…damn you, dobe, shush it alright. "

"Sorry, sorry. "

The showers were only open in the morning, so none of them had an actual shower before sleeping… which meant the room reeked of the mixed smell of sweat and blood.

Hinata worked furiously, rigidly setting the bread into the breadbox, for she noticed that it was only her and Gaara left again. She worked even faster, the bags of cup-noodle and condiments set in their right places in no time.

She heard the noise of Gaara standing up, probably to get out on the balcony and have his last smoke before he returned to have his sleep. But for some reason, he did not proceed directly to the balcony, but instead, came over to the table where she stood, still organizing the groceries.

Without a word, he set something down on the table, and walked off, his eyes still void of anything but nothing. Whatever it was he put down, it was shining.

Hinata looked down at the table, her expression a bit lost.

The revolver lay, gleaming in all its glory, clean of any speck of dust that might have polluted its surface and insides.

He had cleaned it for her.

--

(bloodiedsug's words on NCD-

This one, I had been longing to write for ages.

I'm afraid it's going to be really… really depressing, lmao.

But I wanted to write this so bad .… oh well, if you're looking for cheery things, go look at… wait. I don't really have that much cheerful writing lol. Go look at the earlier parts of deathplay, that would be cheerful enough XD..

Bear with me)


	2. The Meaning of Necropolis

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**Necropolis: City of the dead**

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**SCROLL I- Genesis**

(Session#2- The meaning of Necropolis )

--

**(Naruto's memory- Winter of 2007, December 21)**

Orcendite Michoncea.

A deadly virus mutated to kill.

It bore holes and intrusions in the very deep midst of your bones. It increased body temperature up to a devastating level, so that the victim was reduced to ice packs and rubbing alcohol. In the end, the blood mingled inside the intrusions and the bones started cracking, into pieces that tended to jut out and stick directly into the organs. No bones, you'd resort to being a human jellyfish; that is, if you had already survived the internal bleeding.

Luckily, there was only one out of a trillion chances you'd catch it.

But why Sasuke?

--

**(Naruto's memory- Winter of 2007, December 24)**

"…Sasuke…ha, you know? That cat that used to knock over our laundry? Well the poor thing's given birth to six kittens, and it's been driving me crazy… you don't know how loud they are, yowling all over the place, mewling. By god, I didn't know kitty piss smelled so bad. "

Sasuke was silent.

The tubes that ran the IV and other various unknown liquids were dripping slowly, the beeper in the room beeping once in a regular hour, the glass walls appropriately cutting off anyone from actually seeing the patient.

No wonder he couldn't hear.

"…and the ramen house closed for the week, damn. The owner guy left for holiday, and I'm deprived of ramen for days... Oh yeah, other news! I bet you'd be laughing to hear this… Choji, y'know? He finally got the nerve to ask out Ino, and she didn't decline! Jesus, have you ever heard the likes of it? It's pretty cute actually. "

Naruto smiled into the glass, his palm against the cool surface.

"They're going out and all, holding hands and stuff. Ha. "

He laughed into the glass again, his breath blurring it.

"..And I heard that they're planning to go do their Christmas shopping toget…"

He stopped. The ticking sounds of the clock filled the room momentarily.

Then a sob.

And a breaking voice.

"Damn it, it's Christmas Eve, Sasuke!! "

His palms slapped the cold impenetrable sheet of glass that divided them.

"Fuck…"

--

The hospital halls smelled too clinical, too artificial.

It smelled like death.

"Come on, now 'listen' to me Naruto. Let's be reasonable here. I'll stay here and care for Sasuke, and you ca…"

Iruka was getting impatient. He had come all the way down to the sea coast of Konoha during his seminars as soon as he had heard the news, but Naruto wasn't buying it.

Iruka was feeling agitated.

He felt deeply sorry for the poor boy lying somewhere in this beehive of a hospital, but he also felt remorse for the one standing right in front of him. God knows how much Naruto would beat himself over for not doing anything, especially when he knew he had the chance.

This was just for what would happen, in the future.

"Fuck you, if you think I'm going to abandon Sasuke for some… some weird rumor that might not even be true. That's sick sensei."

Iruka grinded his teeth and sighed deeply, watching Naruto's back growing smaller as he went down the hallway.

"You could save him, when the doctors cannot. "

That stopped him from walking away.

Naruto stood stagnant for a moment, his breath caught in his chest. He turned slowly, as if to think over an impossible prospect.

"…what if he dies, while I'm there? "

He spoke quietly, deliberately, afraid.

He was choosing his breath carefully, as if some invisible trigger might break him down into crying.

Iruka had known this boy all his life, bought ramen for him in the local ramen house when he heard news that his parents had died in a car crash. Naruto cried back then, stuffing himself with bowls after bowls of ramen, throwing up everything afterwards and immediately falling asleep on his lap.

Iruka had also been there when Naruto first met with Sasuke, and Sasuke had given him a bloody nose immediately. Naruto had petulently screeched that he didn't like this 'dobe'. That was over ten years ago. Iruka had been there for the past 17 years, and now he was still here.

He knew what to say.

"Then you could tell him, in all your conviction, that you tried your best. "

Naruto had promised himself over and over to not cry, to never let Sasuke see the faint puffiness in his eyes, but he broke down this time.

"B…but what about you Sensei? You… what about your job? "

"No one would miss my lectures. I'll tell Genma to take over, while I'm gone. I'll take care of Sasuke, while 'you're' gone. "

Naruto calmed himself down with a series of deep breathing, then looked up with a tight smile.

"Thank you for everything sensei. "

Iruka smiled tiredly, and then quickly added:

"…but Naruto, if things get too… I'm not too sure about what goes around in there, but if things get too rowdy… bail out. I mean it. I'm not having you go and injure yourself while trying to…"

"I'm not leaving there until I get what I need. "

Iruka stopped short at the look of staunch determination on Naruto's face.

He felt a small twinge of anxious regret, a queer sense of foreboding doom; maybe he had been too rash about this.

"I'm going to save him. "

Naruto turned away briskly, looking far happier than he had looked just moments ago. And hope.

He looked hopeful. That's what killed Iruka.

"Naruto… I, …"

"Thank you sensei, for giving me a chance. "

Iruka cast his eyes down and didn't say no more.

--

**(2008/6/1- Outter Necropolis, Day 65 )**

Necropolis, city of the dead.

It was funny how no one knew of its origins, or actually 'knew' what was going on in there until they actually decided to take part.

The idea was simple.

It was too simple, that no one actually believed it until they got deperate enough to try anything.

In the abandoned city enclosed, cut off from the rest of the world, a limitless number of participants were allowed in, annually. Among those competitors, 7 'prophets', so they called themselves, were placed in different places of the city, always moving so no one was sure of their whereabouts. But they left clues, hints, everywhere. And finding one prophet would mean leading to another.

Once you got to all seven of them, simple. You got your prize.

The chance to live again, for eternity.

Ironic that a city named after death was supposed to give life.

But perhaps not so ironic, considering the number of people that had to die for one person to actually receive the prize.

As stupid as it sounded, thousands of people swarmed around the registration offices daily. Some, like children and old people, got declined, for they didn't stand a chance. Others, were declined for having no military training at all; those people also didn't stand a chance. Not fair, but Necropolis wasn't designed to be fair.

The rules were that there were no rules. No laws whatsoever.

But indeed, there was a certain 'system'.

In case the city got too overpopulated, a group of people called drifters were set, sort of like night sentries. After sundown, nobody was safe to roam the streets; anyone stupid enough to work overtime and 'cheat', the drifters killed without a word. But some people still took the risk.

But there were times, even with drifters, that the number of people got too overwhelmingly high to sufficiently manage the system. Then they had another tactic at the ready; elimination, a seven day process of completely wiping out a district by force. Running away was allowed, if you could escape. Your choice.

Of course, there was also the choice of getting ejected. The people who hadn't realized the real situation in Necropolis hurriedly chose to get ejected before they got killed by others. But most didn't. They had come, even if they hadn't known it would be this bad, with the conviction and determination strong enough to withstand the hardships the city poured on them. Most of them had sick bedridden family members, dying lovers. Or rather, the will to live forever.

Participants formed teams, mostly of threes and fours, to effectively reach the seven prophets faster than the ones playing alone, but this also held a significant problem.

There was only one prize.

Once you got to the seven prophets, it would be every man against the other until only one was left standing.

You'd either have to kill your teammates one day, or swiftly bail out before that atrocious situation comes to you faster than you can avoid it.

In all, it just sounded like a cruel twisted silly game.

It did, until it became reality.

--

"Two memory chips and none less than that. "

Gaara twitched in impatience. Shikamaru's temple was throbbing; this guy had to be kidding.

Hinata noted the man's aloof and pompous manner in which he bargained. Silly fool; he had come without any other companion, completely unaware that 'this' was Necropolis.

One silly mistake and you were out.

All five of them were in a dingy room just two blocks away from the sanctuary districts. Many people utilized these rooms for bargaining and negotiating.

The man who claimed he had the clue to the second prophet was seated in the far end of the rusty table. Shikamaru was seated directly opposite from him, always the negotiator within the team, because he was the only one who could keep patience and his head decent for a long time. Hinata was intimidated too easily and Gaara was prone to violence, while Naruto didn't take anything seriously.

Gaara stood with his back to the wall, calmly eyeing the situation. Naruto was placed behind Shikamaru, tossing a handful of bullet caps playfully. Hinata was standing awkwardly next to the door, her left hand trembling inside her pocket; there was a tiny pistol placed in there.

"'Two', you say. Look here, we've already given you the maps to the inner districts, plus some extra rations. Doesn't that seem extravagant? Isn't that enough for you? "

Hinata could plainly see how much Shikamaru wanted to add the word 'fucker' to the end of his politely conducted sentence.

The man leered.

"The information I'm giving you is 'genuine'. "

This was excruciating.

"I get that. So is our map. Genuine, I mean. "

"It's hard to believe, when all I'm hearing is from a bunch of 'kids'. "

The man had a thick accent; he pronounced 'kids' like 'keeds'.

"How old is your bunch? 17? 18? None over twenty, I'll bet. Bah, teenagers, You should run off to your mommies and daddies and leave this city to the 'adults'. "

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"I haven't got any parents, thanks. Nor do Gaara, or Shikamaru. And maybe Hinata. "

The man smirked.

"A bunch of orphans then. Anways, I mean, what are you runts going to do with eternal life? Waste it, probably, on a whim. Betcha not one of you have ever killed a man before. ""

A silence.

Shikamaru smiled mock-pleasantly, his lips lifting up but his eyes stuck in a set of blazing angry onyx. Naruto let out a low whistle, seeing the look on his face.

It's already been two hours. All that precious time, wasted.

Time to end this thing.

"That's it fucker. "

--

(bloodiedsugs's words on NCD-

Phew, a bit long, but at least I put down everything you need to know about this 'hellhole of a city'!

Did you like that? I mean, a bit too depressing, even for my taste… I get sympathetic towards all my characters… just wait till you hear about all of their reasons for entering Necropolis. Expecially Shika T.T

By the way, other characters are coming soon… especially Kakashi sensei and Itachi.

PS: I made up that virus, it doesn't exist... don't worry XD

Bear with me. )


	3. The triangular blade

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**Necropolis: City of the dead**

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**SCROLL I- Genesis**

(Session#3-The triangular blade)

--

**(Iruka's Memory- Konoha Hospital- 2002/1/1)**

"Kakashi! Happy new year… yes… why did you call? "

"Iruka, we need to talk. "

--

**(Iruka's Memory- Hatake Residence- 2002/1/1)**

The Hatake Residence stretched further than the eyes could see- Iruka shook his head, wondering how he always got thrown off by the size of this place every time he visited.

Having a multibillionaire colleague/ friend was an unnerving thing at times.

"Well now, you have to be fast with whatever news you've got, because I need to be back at the hospital to check up on Sasuke by noo…"

Iruka ranted off as soon as he arrived on the marble doorsteps of the massive mansion, but Kakashi cut him off with a raise of his hand.

"Have a look at this. "

With those words, Kakashi threw him a manila colored envelope, creased with the ends torn off. He then proceeded to the hallways, slipping a fag into his mouth with an audible sigh.

Bewildered, Iruka took out the paper files from the weathered envelope and started to read.

His eyes widened in shock.

"..Wh…What the fuck is it?! "

There were numbers and names everywhere; dates and names, and an ominous number, ridiculously small but large depending on one's idea of large, on the bottom.

Figuring up to tens and hundreds, daily.

"…It's the casualty rate for the competitors in Necropolis. "

Kakashi silently blew the smoke into the empty hallway, crushing the cigarette with his left hand. He turned back to see his friend gaping at him with stunned eyes.

"You didn't do your research well enough when you sent the boy there, Iruka. "

Iruka faltered; he hadn't known… if he had, he would have never sent the boy there. In fact, he'd have preferred Naruto not knowing about this at all.

"…Ka…Kakashi. What have I done?! I've… I've sent him there… to die?! "

Iruka threw the sheets down at the floor in sheer display of panic and anger, mostly at himself. He raised his head amidst a frenzy of anxiety, and saw his friend standing calmly down at him with a cool composure that did not seem disturbed at all.

Kakashi spoke.

"You, calm down. You won't be able to do anything like this. "

"But if the kid dies!! He'd be dying on 'my' hands… I killed him!! "

Kakashi roughly gripped Iruka by his shoulders.

"Naruto's not dead yet, Iruka. So stop this already. "

"H…how do you know? "

"I went through the entire file yesterday…he was my student too, if you'd care to recall. And his name is not on the sheets, so you can relax for now. "

Iruka crashed into the leather sofa, a dull look in his eyes. He ignored the vodka distilled with water that Kakashi had wordlessly set down in front of him.

He whispered.

"He's counting on that place. He really is. He's pinned all hopes on it. "

Iruka groaned silently, then with both hands clinging to his face, looked up at his friend once more:

"He'd rather die than come back. "

Kakashi blandly stared down at Iruka.

"So be it. "

Iruka, half perplexed and half stunned, jerked his head to see his friend downing the glass of vodka with unnatural ease.

"Why don't I go and check up on my stock of firearm… don't give me that look, Iruka. It's not just a hobby; forgot I was a marine, haven't you? "

--

**(2008/6/1- Outter Necropolis, Day 65)**

"Wha… you, kid… you don't dare…"

The blowing end of the revolver was set to the man's forehead, which was sweating profusely.

Shikamaru had jumped the length of the table and was now perched on top of the surface, his two legs pinning the man's shoulders down in a crushing grip, his hands fondling the revolver with his customary straightforwardness.

He looked bored.

"Let me hear that again. What did you say about us not knowing what murder feels like? "

The man, apparently who had believed the kid wouldn't have any guts to pull the trigger, quavered at the feel of the cool metal against his perspiring forehead.

Naruto let out a whistle that dwindled off like an airy balloon- he had finally stopped fooling around with the bullet caps and was eyeing the situation with intense concentration. Gaara was silent, and Hinata fretted.

Shikamaru languidly placed his left foot on the man's head and snapped it down, so that it was facing sideways.

"Quit the shake, dipshit, I'm going to tell you something important here, before you quit this city for good. "

"Y… you're crazy! "

He smiled cynically then bent down and spoke directly into the shaky man's dirty ears, enunciating every syllable as if he was talking to a toddler.

"Everyone in this place is a crazy nut. You see some innocent looking kids running around with guns in this city? It just means they're crazier than you are. Don't really get the equation, do you? We're that much desperate. "

Hinata uneasily flipped her eyes from side to side, hoping either Gaara or Naruto would do something to keep Shikamaru from blowing the guy's head away for good. Because, god help her, she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"…We're that much of a psycho than you can ever be. "

Shikamaru eyed Naruto, giving the signal. Naruto grinned; he had known all along Shika wouldn't want to kill the guy. He was just pissed off, and need to cool down.

All they were aiming to do was to render the guy unconscious and steal his shit; not so noble...but then, it was hard to heed to the noble ways in Necropolis.

But in that split second when they were exchanging looks, the man, scared out of his wits, jumped up in a frenzy and slashed out at Shikamaru, pulling a switchblade. Shikamaru whipped up his arm to block his neck, and the blade gashed through.

Gaara promptly kicked the man's head in from the side, allowing his overweight body to roll off the table and crash into the dusty floor, unconscious.

"What the fuc…"

"Shi…Shikamaru kun, you're bleeding! "

Shikamaru held up his bleeding arm, and eyed it with disdain.

"Nah, nothing to worry about, Hinata. Damn idiot's… the blade's triangular. "

"What? "

He pointed down at his arm to the wound which was bubbling blood. It obscured the wound, but Hinata saw faintly the outlines of the deep gash.

Gaara suddenly spoke observantly.

"It makes a wound that doesn't close up. "

"H…huh? "

Hinata inquiringly looked up at him.

"With a normal blade, when you cut someone… the wound closes right up. Like a slit. But… "

Here, he proceeded to peel the wet bloodied sleeve off the wound.

Shikamaru's lips curled- a quick view of his pointy canine, then the relaxing muscles.

"A triangular blade. It doesn't close up. It makes the wound last longer. Takes longer time to heal. "

Not that long, Shikamaru thought, eyeing the wound wryly.

He thought that it was tremendously ironic that it was Gaara who should say this, the Gaara that shared with him so intimately the reason for being in Necropolis.

--

"Well I'll be blown! Oi, Shikamaru… I thought you were the only one in our team with a straight head on. Now it turns out we're a team made up crackpots! Grr. "

Naruto chuckled, showing his teeth.

They had just reported the man's body, still alive, to the sentries with the online cable that was available in every sanctuary district of Necropolis. The idiot would be deported soon, unless he was unfortunate enough to be find by a rogue team of true-to-their-colors crackpots who enjoyed killing anything alive in sight. It was a possibility.

"Please… shut up, Naruto. I'm going to sleep in today- get this thing to close up somehow. "

"I'll sing you a get-well song, now here. My deeeeaarreest friend, the daaaays have gone byyyyyy with toooo much haaaaste "

"God fuck it, shut up!! "

"A lullaby? "

"I swear, you'll be the death of me… "

While the weary Shikamaru grumbled and Naruto jostled in his army cot, Hinata observed with hidden attention at the foreboding back Gaara was showing right that moment. It was not so much his conduct that worried her- he was processing the information they had extracted out of the morning rendezvous today. It was just that…

He was even more wordless than usual, despite him always being the sullen reticent character….but this was too much. He didn't open his mouth, not bothering to even speak to Shikamaru, to whom he spoke most to.

Was he sick?

What was wrong?

--

**(2008/4/1 Two months ago- Gaara's memory)**

I was standing under the heavy gates of Necropolis.

The sentries were milling about briskly, and one of them came over to offer me advice.

"You're the last one in to enter for today; a tad too many idiots today wanting to enroll… seeing that it's April Fools day, it almost seems like a joke. See that sunset, kid? Pretty, ain't it? Well it ain't going to look too pretty when you get jumped by the drifters… it's better if you wait until the morning to get in. I'm serious, here. You don't wanna get 'off' the moment you set foot in there, don't ya? "

The man talked too much. Even as he led me to the registration desk, his mouth was flapping a mile a minute.

"Just for curiosity, why are you applying? I know this is nosing… but I've seen all kinds of people; them people trying to save others, ones who just like the idea of eternal life… we even get crackpots who thinks this city's gon' be the biggest thrill in their life! Just for fun! Imagine that! "

I dully look up and meet the porcine squinty eyes of the gate sentry. He smiles and I get a full view of a mess of crowded yellow teeth, seeping with tobacco juice.

"So, what's your story? "

That's what he asks.

My story?

The sentry mistakes my silence for a sign of anger, and stops nosing on the subject. Then he finally asks a question I'm able to answer.

"You got a team or anything? It's going to be the hard life if you ain't got a team… "

I answer.

"I have someone I know already enlisted. "

"Eh? Really… well... kinda hard to say this, but not so good kid. "

I eye him levelly, daring him to fuck up my head before even starting.

He smiles what is supposedly a apologetic smile.

"Y'all are gon' be competitors in that turf, aiming for the same prize. That's kinda bad, no shit. "

"It doesn't matter who wins, for him and me. "

The sentry doesn't get it.

--

"It's her birthday today, you know. You probably know, already, but… "

Shikamaru spoke quietly, eyeing the setting sun by the balcony.

"…I know. "

"I know what you think. You think I'm crazy for doing this. "

Gaara shook his head silently as Shikamaru sighed.

"But what the hell. I made a promise, and it's high time I stopped being so god damn lazy and keep the promise. "

"She loved you. "

"…it's enough with me alone, doing this. You don't have to. "

Gaara quizically cocked his head, eyeing his hands that was soaked with the brilliant light of the setting sun that was flooding into the rundown room.

"I have to. "

--

(bloodiedsugs's words on NCD-

Late, I know… sorry about that.

I'll add more GaaXHina, but I just want to fill up on the plot and the background explanation for now.

Thanks for reading and faving- this had quite a few faves than I had initially expected it to have… so thx for that

Bear with me)


	4. killing fanfics: which one

(Um well. Here it goes)

--

I've decided to write a new story, and I'll have to kill one of these fanfics of mine…

Because eh… I really dislike having too much fanfics up on my page…

I guess I'm a bit eccentric in that way, I've already killed about 3,4 fanfics of mine since I came to know this site.

No matter how much I worked hard on it, no matter what nice reviews I got, soo…

I have to decide:

Either Necropolis or Dear Senpai; (I can't kill Temptation because it's a baby project)

Uh. Both of them are too small a project for it to actually have any fans…

If no reviews come up, I'll just choose myself.

Necropolis have lesser reviews, but it has more alerts than faves. 3 chappies. It also has a C2. It has more alerts than DS. More plot than relationships.

Dear senpai have more reviews, twice as more than Necropolis, and has more faves than alerts. 6 chappies. It has more faves than NCD. Also has plot but more faving in on KakaXAnko lemon.

i put this up on both stories... which? you choose.


	5. Foodstop 34

**--------**

**Necropolis: City of the dead**

**-------**

**SCROLL I- Genesis**

(Session#4-Foodstop 34)

----

**(Shikamaru's memory – Sunagakure Residence-2006/6/24)**

"_I live more than I die. I live when you live. "_

"Will you keep your promise…?"

I wished she had asked me anything but that.

The room was wafting with a sickening medicinal smell, an herbal sort that overwhelmed all other smells in the room. They had shut down all the windows—shame, she loved the night wind, reckon it's too cold now for that—and even managed to turn up the heat to the extent of suffocation. One thing they didn't do was turn down the light, which made it all the more harder.

You can't hide facial expressions out in the light.

There were only two of us in the room, and I could just as well have easily duped her; but that wasn't an option either.

She's really trying to make sure I wasn't going to kill myself after she's gone… isn't she.

Breathe, Shikamaru. Damn it.

Breathe.

"…you know that's the only thing I'm good at. Otherwise, I'm just a lazy-ass know-nothing f…"

I made up for the trailing off by giving her a smile.

She took no bullshit. She saw through me.

"Even with me gone, you'd still be living. I'd look the future through your eyes. Believe me, in all honesty…"

Breathe, don't break down now, smile, erase that god-damned strain off your face, relax, breathe, calm down now.

Breathe.

"_I lived more than I died. I'll live when you live. "_

Little did she know how far on that 'living' promise I was about to go.

--

**(Naruto's memory- Outer Necropolis- 2008/4/6 – Day 10)**

"Are you sure you can trust her? "

"Hell, why not! "

I grinned stupidly into the deadbeat face of Gaara, who was still being indignant about the whole issue. I knew he was the cautious type, but really, there was nothing to be wary of with this girl I was sure.

One look at her face and I knew it all. She was so meek and timid that it was a surprise in itself that she was at Necropolis.

Shikamaru also made a point:

"That's 'exactly' what I'm afraid of, you fool. Forgot what I told you? 'Everyone in Necropolis is a crazy nut… if you see someone who looks completely out of place, that just either means that person would be killed in a day… or is even more of a crazy nut than us. We're not taking chances, Naruto. "

I frowned and gripped Shikamaru's shoulder defiantly.

"Look, you don't get it, see? It's either we take care of her, or she gets killed in one hour flat. She's 'that' bad at this whole surviving thing.

Shikamaru was still frowning, but my grip was getting stronger, and if he did not relent, I might as well have gouged a portion of his flesh right off.

"Fine, but this doesn't mean I'm going to like it. When things get fucked up, remember it's you who got her in here with us. "

Shikamaru levelly gripped back at my clinging hand and thrust it away with a tad more force than needed. His face did not show any trace of anger, but his eyes were blazing. I only grinned and massaged the hand that he had thrust away so forcefully, speaking up once more.

"I'll take her here. See for yourself…oh, and Gaara? "

I turned to speak to the red-headed reticent figure that was smoking, completely detached from the scene.

He responded after a pause.

"What. "

I tried a smile.

"Be nice to her. "

-----

(**Hinata's thoughts LOG#1**)

_Hinata was not sure she wanted to do this. _

_It was her first taste of freedom, the first taste of any outside contact she'd ever get in her miserable life. And she was happy for it. She was happy for the chance. _

_But she was also afraid, just in case it ended too soon. _

_And when it ended, she was sure. _

_It'll never come back. _

-----

**(2008/6/2 – Outter Necropolis -Day 66)**

"This guy wasn't kidding when he said his map was genuine…look at this guys. "

Shikamaru was peering intently into the map while the rest of the team was tucking in happily; this was a foodstop—foodstop 34 to be precise— one of those numerous restaurant-like shelters that were spread out sporadically in Necropolis. About 100 of those were open in mainland, as in outer Necropolis.

Participants were given food accordingly to their passes; it was a safe enough place to dine, for drifters kept peace. It probably was the next safest thing to a sanctuary area. This was no place for a brawl; any skirmish or arguments that might develop into a full-fledged battle were handled outside, where the drifters would not interfere.

Inside, it was a different issue.

"Shika, it's time to 'eat'… I know you're the brain in this but, "

Naruto shoved a burger into the jaded teammate's reluctant mouth, all the while chewing into his portion of lasagna. Gaara was seated on the left, quietly chowing down a plate of stew.

"…look, your brain will not work properly if you don't eat well, see? I learned that in…"

"Elementary, second grade, very cute. Now leave me be; I'll eat that later. "

Shikamaru cut the conversation and continued studying over the map he had gotten out of the 'uncooperative' man's hands; he wondered for a second if the guy was alive, but that didn't really matter. Not when he couldn't afford to even worry about people around him.

Naruto, still jolly as he could be, stuffed his mouth again with pasta from Hinata's plate, and found her gone. Chewing, he looked around for her, but she could not be seen in the crowded suffocating atmosphere of the foodstop. Blaring music, mingled with the smell of food and sound of tired conversations.

"Mm…MMmmm, Shika, Hinata's gone. "

Naruto gave his teammate a poke on the arm with his MP5.

"…mm? "

"I can't find Hinata. "

Shikamaru did an once-over the room, and frowned. His lanky form lifted up from his seat as he looked as far back as the corners of the dimly lit joint.

"She could be at the bathroom. "

"I guess. "

Naruto returned to eating, as Shikamaru did to his work, his fingers rubbing against his temple; his burger lay forgotten.

They both did not notice Gaara quietly stand up.

----

"So tell us. What's so bad about this deal? We're good guys, I swear that. Honest. "

Three brawly men were encircling Hinata, their eyes brazenly brushing up and down her form. They took her in as easy meat; her eyes were getting as big as dishpans, telltale sign. The wind blew icily against her skin, reminding her now and then that she was outside, and therefore, infinitely more vulnerable than she had been just moments ago, before these men so rudely pulled her out into the open.

They were trying to convince her to join their team.

"N…no. "

The other one came up to her with a sick leer.

"Look, honey, this team or that team, it's all just the same shit over. What chance do we even have of getting that eternal life prize? It's just for the hell of it, ain't it? Don't you agree? "

The man with bristly blonde hair and a set of narrowed eyes smiled what was supposed to be a courteous smile. The smile frightened her more than this situation itself. Behind the smile lay the promises of gang rape and sexual molestation; at least with 'her' group, she did not have to worry.

Hinata began to urgently wish she had thought of notifying at least one member in her team that she was going to the bathroom. She'd been away for at least 20 minutes, but since she hadn't bothered to tell, there was no way of knowing when Naruto, Shikamaru or Gaara would notice her absence.

Or would they care.

Hinata distinctively recalled the day she was brought into the team.

Naruto, smiling innocently, showing her around their temporary flat in the sanctuary areas, his arm-strapped MP5 contrasting dramatically with the cordiality he was emitting from all corners of his youthful face. Putting up a happy act to hide his grief.

Shikamaru, ever the level headed cold one, courteous and considerate but too polite, still waiting to see if she was trustworthy or not. But he came with a story too painful for her to comprehend, that she later instantly forgave him for his initial hostility.

And Gaara, never trusting, always eyeing her with an impassive hollow glance, a glacial demeanor. A very weird story indeed, his reasons for coming to Necropolis.

But they meant more to her than anyone would ever know.

"This is getting ridiculous. Lafe, just take her. "

The sallow wiry man ordered the narrow eyed blonde; they obviously gave up on negotiation. They were going to use blunt force; easy said, easy done.

"N…"

She had the small revolver in her pockets, but was too numb to brandish it. And she also knew, it would be pretty useless anyways. It seemed a hopeless situation; why fight for it?

"…good girl. "

The blonde murmured into her ears, and Hinata thought for one wild moment of the curiosities in this world, how she could one blonde in her life be so kind while the other so nasty.

She closed her eyes.

"You're a weakling. Why give up without a fight? "

Her eyes snapped open.

She knew that voice.

"…who the fuck are you? "

The blonde stepped away, glowering at the figure that was all of sudden just next to her, as if he had appeared out of thin air. He had a tousle of maroon hair, light build with pale ghostly skin. A shifty gait.

There was hope afterall.

The figure sighed, and spoke to Hinata.

"You are useless. "

It hurt to hear his words, but Hinata was overjoyed for she was alive and she was going to keep on being alive and living, breathing.

Free.

-----------

(bloodiedsugs's words on NCD-

Kill me if you want to.

Well. Due to quite a lot of people requesting this… I am frankly continuing this story.

Sorry that couldn't update faster…I'm just afraid of it all slipping away.

Anyways, just a suggestion I'm going to make:

While you're reading this, be sure to read the dates, so you don't get mixed up. It's going to jump from past to present a thousand times before the story is over so… sorry if it's too confusing.

Bear with me. )

---

My rambling:

Okay, short story but I have something I want to talk about. So don't kill me for it…lol.

Well.

There's only so much I can take until I start thinking, uh, is this too much?

I've been raising hell in my own little head trying to decide which story to kill, Necro or Dear Senpai?? I tried to hand the decision over to the readers, but lol, ended up being even more confused (breathoflavender and BarronCyde, make up your mind! Lol, though I love you both for loving my stories.)

Okay, so I won't kill any.

Done. Now, here comes forth another dilemma.

Which story do I put on hold??

It's been eighty four thousand years since I updated DeathPlay… and even more than that when it comes to HSBK, two of my most beloved "first-tries" projects.

Though I admit HSBK is entirely lacking in the consistency of its plot (basically, no plot. Lol. Just Hinata's rambling on high school drama) and tends to be crap in quality, I still cherish it.

Why?

Because it was my very first big project I started here at FF. Even if I only got two measly reviews for a session, I still wrote… that's partially the reason why the plot-lacking story's mounted up to 40 sessions, now entering chapter 5… I even thought about giving it up along the way, but here I am. I might put it on hold though….

Lol. It's doing fairly well; painstakingly making its way up to 200 reviews…(would I even be alive then?) anyway.

And DeathPlay. There's a story I love. Purely because I have to put a hell lot of work in it to make one puny session. It's the only story on my page with more plot than I can manage… (with the exception of Necropolis I suppose, but then, that's a baby project)

And even though I adore making shit complicated, it sometimes is overwhelming to produce just one session. (Au contraire to one of the newest baby fluff on my page, How to write fanfiction. Haha… I'll admit it now; it takes about thirty minutes or less to write a session…easiest writing I've done, and the lightest… It has no plot, and I don't have to think while I write. )

This one's doing well too. Loyal readers… it finally broke through 100 reviews.

Right. So, if I want to manage updating regularly on HSBK and DP, I'll have to cut down on the newbies, much as I ache to let some of them go.

I for one, have always thought that my page, (since I'm completely lacking in organization) should not be cluttered with more than three (lol) fanfics at a time. So I killed a few fanfics, about three or four.

But now I have seven. (White Nights… I had to do it, lol)

I'm not aiming to kill Temptation, because that's a kind of baby project too, and it's a lemon. It's kind of a practice for me too, because I'm trying out a story focusing purely on relationship and not much plot.

I "will" not kill How to write fanficiton, because whether or not the story doesn't stand much for quality, it's immense fun writing it. I kinda enjoy having something that light, because all my stories tend to go for the "Angsty if not overly dramatic" angle. Besides, it's the newest story on my page.

I 'cannot' kill White Nights. I have my reasons.

So it basically comes down to Necropolis and DS, dear senpai.

Both of them are hard to write in my opinion; alright, I change my mind.

I shouldn't have said DS didn't have any plot, because it does. It's not just lemon. There was only one sex scene, and the rest is Kakashi's reminiscing, his dreams of Obito, and Anko's questionable past, her scars. There's a whole lot more 'skeletons in her closet' scenes that I got planned in mind. Doing just okay, 30 review-ish, 7 chappies.

Necropolis though, does have more plot, an original one too.

Actually, Necropolis (Abridged to NCD) didn't really start out as a Naruto fanfic. It was my original story, of which I had already produced three thin lined notebooks by the time I started thinking about making it a Naruto fanfic.

(There are four people in the team now, Naruto Shikamaru Hinata and Gaara, but it was actually supposed to be three in the original storyline. Tobi, Lee and Gene The character of Lee was divided into two parts, where his personality is equivalent to Naruto's, and his past is similar to Shikamaru's. Also, it was actually another character, Tobius, who was trying to save someone, because at that point, the person Shikamaru's trying to save is already dead. And unlike Naruto, who is trying to save his "friend" Sasuke, Tobi is trying to save his little bro, Allen. 'Also' (now I'm running off with my rambling) Book I: Broken Souls has already ended in my version, and Book II: The Next Generation is starting up. Ha. I do offline writing too. )

So to tell you the truth, I actually have more feeling towards NCD than DS.

But really, I do get discouraged when there's not much reviews on the story I love. I'm not the same person as I used to be, who didn't give a shit if no one reviewed or faved me. Lol, miss those times, because that was when I'd write incessantly. Now, I get scared that I won't get much response out of my stories; filthy habit I tellsya. Lmao

PS: Also. I'm…thinking about putting up another story. (kill me)

You guys don't need to read this crap. Just tell me what I should do.

Loves ya.


	6. Selfish Altruism

**--------**

**Necropolis: City of the dead**

**-------**

**SCROLL I- Genesis**

(Session#5- Selfish Altruism)

----

**(Gaara's memory – Sunagakure Residence-2006/6/25)**

Isn't it just enough that we're living under the stars, breathing in fresh air and belonging to that group up people who can say that they're still alive?

Apparently not.

Scanning down my eyes on the scant information available about that place I was about to go…was planning to go, I realized that people were overwhelmingly selfish for the second time in my life. All these deaths…casualty rates. All because they were selfish.

Necropolis did have an ingenious way punishing the overreaching, didn't they?

"Gaara. "

I looked up naturally, not bothering to hide the papers strewn across my oversized bed.

It was him, looking haggard, but determined.

"Gaara. "

He repeated, looking slightly agitated, his fist clenching as if he wanted to grab the papers out of my hands. I promptly gathered them and stuck them into a file. Seeing my reaction, he unclenched his fist, wearing one of the most excruciating expressions I'd seen him make.

"Gaara, you don't have to go. "

Speaking my name for the third time, Shikamaru walked over to me and crouched down on the floor, looking up at me sitting on the bed looking down on him.

"I made a promise. You didn't. "

"…she doesn't know how far you are about to go keeping that promise alive. "

"…right. "

"Would it kill you to just tell her good bye the way she wants, and move on? She'd hate to see you like this. "

Shikamaru paused, a crease running through his forehead. After a minute's contemplation, he slowly murmured out the words he'd so carefully thought out, looking a little surprised as if it had been a revelation.

"…she's strong, I'm not. "

You see, we're all selfish in a way, even those willing to martyr themselves for the sake of others. We're running on a till that's bound to run out someday, running desperately for our lives, cause whether it be our lives or our loved one's lives… or even just fun that we're chasing… because we know.

You can't live without the thing you're chasing.

And that is why I'm selfish too.

-----

**(2008/6/2 – Outter Necropolis -Day 66)**

After their initial surprise at his sudden appearance, the three men grunted in disapproval, frowning at Gaara. The blond, who was the closest to her, sneered at the boy who seemed to lanky and slim to be of any threat.

"… she in your team, mate? "

Gaara didn't bother speaking, just staring at the three of them separately…first the sallow pale one, the stockily built black one, and lastly, the blond. They interpreted Gaara's silence as a form of defeat.

"Well, if she was, I'm afraid she ain't no more, kid. She belongs to this group n…"

Those words had barely left the blond's smirking mouth when suddenly, there was some shouting and pointing, and a gaping red hole materialized on the side of his face.

His left ear was blown away.

"Y…you fucking little piece of …!! "

Gaara stood with his revolver pointed—Hinata blinked, she hadn't seen him pull it out—and proceeded to spook the other two men by pointing his other revolver at them.

"Motherfucking piece of shit!! Look here you bitch faggot… if you dare shoot that little contraption of yours…"

There was suddenly a strong pair of arms choking Hinata, one of which was brandishing a switchblade. The blond grunted out a gasped laugh, blood streaming down his increasingly pale face. Hinata blanched at the sight of blood seeping into her hair. The night fog seemed all of a sudden unearthly to her, whipping at her leg with frosty bites.

"She's gone, ya hear me brat? "

Gaara stood quietly, his arms dropping too easily. Hinata's eyes snapped open; he couldn't be giving up that easy just because she was like this? Wasn't he the one that told her she was weakling to give u…

"Gone my holy pagan ass. "

Another familiar voice, this time, coming from the back of the three men.

Barely a second had passed after those words when a crashing force threw down two of those three on to the ground, splattering their heads on the mud.

"What the f…"

Hinata could almost cry, could almost laugh at the sight that stood beyond.

Shikamaru stood with both his hands jammed into his pants, a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, nonchalantly holding up his right leg which was frequently used for kicking around the army cot Naruto always accidentally crashed on top of his. The stocky man laid spread eagle on the ground, knocked out. Naruto stood grinning foolishly, holding up a three legged chair that was too easy to recognize as one of the foodstop's. He enthusiastically whopped it once more on the head of the guy who already seemed unconscious. Gaara simply placed his revolver back into his pockets, as if nothing happened.

Now only the blond stood.

"Y…you dare fucking move and this bitch is dead!! "

He threatened, holding out the wrong arm. In his frenzy, the blond had forgotten he should have the switchblade close to Hinata's neck, and brandished it towards the two newcomers. They frowned.

Naruto dropped the chair and grabbed the guy's shoulder, jerking it back. Shikamaru lept forward and took the blond's arm—the one with the switchblade— into his hands, twisting it. And with a sudden grimace on his face, he took up his right leg again in a slow fashion… then brought it down with all his might.

The blond shouted out in protest, then a sickening crack broke through his voice to the point where he almost screeched. The bone hadn't cut through clean; it shattered a little at the end, lodging itself into the flesh.

Hinata screwed up her eyes at the gruesome sight, landing on the ground herself in a close-faint as the blond's arm freed her.

But before that, she got a glimpse of Naruto's face, and it seemed every bit as sickened as hers. She wondered why; he'd seen worse things before…until she recalled that his friend was sick with a virus that bore cracks in the bones, shattering in the end.

No wonder he looked sick.

"Right… either they would deport these guys, or… "

Shikamaru did not finish those words as shook away the blood that had smudged on his hand when he had touched the blond. He simply picked their pockets clean of useful valuables—an act that was in no way a crime at Necropolis, merely sensible—and walked off towards the foodstop again. Naruto smiled wryly, still looking queasy, then offered a hand to Hinata, who sat shivering on the ground.

"C'mon, Hinata, you shouldn't go about on your own right? We're family in here, get that? "

Family. What strange words.

She nodded numbly and took the hand. She could feel Gaara's pair of eyes boring into her, bearing and watchful in its silent way.

"Well uh… real sorry about this, but I think you should order your food again. I kind of finished your pasta for you... scant amount, they should be reported. What about taco this time? They make good tacos… or at least the 21th one did…yeah! Tacos, you want tacos? "

Naruto was immediately back into his happy mode, grinning happily at the thought of food as he pulled Hinata along with him back into the warm safety of the foodstop.

Gaara stood there mutely, waiting for all of them to clear off. Shikamaru looked back once and eyed him questioningly—it was dangerous to stay outside when night had fallen—but did not make him come with the rest of the team. Tactful, Shikamaru was. And smart.

The fog swayed over the still unconscious bodies of the three men, Gaara proceeded to walk over to them. When he reached the blond, he stopped, took out a cigarette and lighted. Taking a drag, he thought "filthy habit". He'd die of lung cancer, seeing how much fags he went through in a day, well over the 'just a pack a day' stage.

After he finished, he flicked the ashes on the blond. Then, lifting a feet, crushed the hand of the blond that had flopped bloodily to the side, his eyes glinting with curious anger. He slipped his hand inside his pocket and brought out the revolver, crouching down and sticking it into the closed lid of the unconscious blond's eye, all in less than a second's time. Ragged breathing ripped through his body, eyes widening, hand shimmying as his finger found the trigger.

The blond's mouth was hanging open dully, stupidly, as if he was taking a nap.

Gaara sighed, then pocketed the revolver, feeling disgusted…but with whom, he didn't know.

Who was he most angry with? This creep? Hinata with her all her uselessness?

Or himself.

The glint in his eyes soon died away, replaced by the customary glazed calm.

He looked up, to find Shikamaru standing in front him.

He did not know how long.

"We're returning to the sanctuary soon… taking the safe route. Naruto and Hinata already went; Hinata didn't feel like eating another meal. "

Those words meant nothing to Gaara right now.

Shikamaru's hands were jammed into his pockets again, and Gaara wondered, if he asked, would Shikamaru kick him like he had the blond? He stared intensely at Shikamaru's leg, as if it could be propelled by will. Noticing this, Shikamaru smiled tiredly and dropped his right hand on top of the crouched Gaara's head.

"…you've changed. But you're still you. "

Gaara looked up and was surprised at the intimacy in the touch; Shikamaru never touched him before. He now realized Shikamaru had seen the whole scene.

"She'd have liked that. "

Shikamaru added in a momentous relapse to the one subject he wouldn't have mentioned except to Gaara—the past.

Gaara mused over the words, feeling confusedly content. Standing up, he removed Shikamaru's hand, returning it courteously to its owner as if returning a prized possession, speaking with genuine—subdued, but genuine—gratitude.

"Thank you. "

-----

(bloodiedsugs's words on NCD-

Sorry this was atrociously late—I had the finals.

Firstly… I'm trying to elaborate on this weird relationship Gaara has with Shikamaru… nothing yaoi; it's just that even for me as the writer, it's a weird one. I'll fill out the blanks in later parts.

There's so much blanks to fill; I bet you guys are frustrated with me, lol.

I'll try to write faster. I only wish people were willing to read this as much as they do my lemons and crack fics. Lol. I'm quite stuck on this one.

Bear with me.)


End file.
